I just adopted a 8 week old Rottweiler and need some advice on how to begin the process of training him where to do his business. Any advice? I mostly had outside dogs growing up!!

Puppy pads work miracles (get 'em at Wal-mart, grocery store, etc).

I got some of those, but first pee was on the ground 5 feet to its left, and first poop was 20 ft away from the pad

What I did was use the pad to clean up a bit of the pee, and then put it back down so that it smells for him to learn... Dunno if there is anything else I can be doing. Gonna start taking him out as of tomorrow morning, cause he is a bit scared at the moment

Also how about at night... do I close his crate and have him sleep in it, or do I leave the door of it open so he can access water and wee pad?

Use the crate and try to take him out as much as possible at first so he gets used to going out side. One big thing to remember is if you see him starting to go immed. take him outside. At night he should be locked in the crate for now. Once he becomes house trained and is comfortable with the crate you can start leaving it open but you should still expect him to sleep in the cage. You want to make the cage his safe and comfortable area not a punishment area. The more you keep him in the crate at first and take him outside as soon as he starts to go the quicker he will be trained.

Doing it this way my Husky was house trained in like a month. Yes, every once in awhile there are accidents even 7 years later.

One more thing which we slacked on and it will rear it's head later he should ALWAYS sleep in the crate. If you have to lock it to make him do it it will show who is in charge and will be a daily reminder.

Oh another thing when it comes to feeding feed him by hand at first to so he comes to rely on you for food. You do not want him to think the food belongs to him it may not show now but later in life he will become possessive of HIS food and aggressive. Once the hand feeding is down feed from a bowl but only enough for one feeding and keep your hand in/near it and pet him while he eats. Later on only supply enough food for a feeding so feed him 2x a day. Also DO NOT let him eat food or stuff that may fall on floor it will only make him believe that what's there is his and will also lead to aggresiveness. Same goes with treats biscuits hand feed or make him stay near you while you pet don't let him run off with it.

With out last puppy we just made sure we took him out about every 2 - 4 hours and about 30 minutes after eating. And when he did his business we gave positive reinforcement. We NEVER use crates. I have to say I completly disagree with create training. Then again we are family with always someone around. If it's just you and have periods of the day your at work for long hours then do what ya must. it's just not for me. We just made sure the dog went out RIGHT before we went to bed and went to the bathroom. not jsut run aorund a bit. There were a couple accidents here and there, but in a short time he got the hint and would run to the back door when I got up. This was on an Akita though so your mileage may very on a rotti....

Thanks for the great advice guys, Trying a crate with a metal fence around it so that he has a bit more space then the crate, but goes in it to sleep.

The only problem is he howls and cries nonstop when he is in his crate or his metal fence as long as it is stationary and I am not taking him somewhere.

It is nonstop!!! during the day, at night, no matter when he is in or near the crate and I am not moving him he want to be out and with me or just roaming around.

I just want to make sure this is normal, should I ignore the cries?

Get a crate, since your's is going to grow to be large try to find one that you can adjust. They make these now there's just a piece that slides in at various points and can make them larger or smaller. I have one of these for my 8 month old schnoodle and it works great.

First and foremost. Be patient, very patient. Next, cover your crate with blankets so that it has a "cave" appeal to it. When you can't constantly be around your puppy put the puppy in the crate. Do not ever put the puppy in the crate as punishment, the idea is for them to feel safe and at home there. Encourage him/her to go in there with treats, toys, etc. Every single time puppy comes out of the crate you immediately let him/her outside to potty. Stay outside with puppy to potty, this is where patience comes in. It could be instant it could be 30min but stay outside with your dog until it does a potty and then reward the puppy with praise, treats, etc.

A playing, growing puppy will have to potty frequently. During play time the first several weeks of miss astrid I would stop to take her outside about every hour. Always take your dog outside after it eats, wakes from sleep, has been playing. Keep a watchful eye for behaviors/tendancies and you'll do fine. If your puppy does a poo and you yell or punish puppy then it will think doing the act of the poo is the thing that upsets you and not that it went poo in your house.

The weewee pads did jack shit for me. My puppy would sniff them and then proceed to rip them to shreds and drag them around the house with me chasing her. For some dogs it works for others not so much.

I've been told that for every month a dog is old that is how long he/she can hold their urine in hours. I got up at all hours of the night to let my dog out, expect to do that for the first 3 or so months.

Lastly, dogs are loyal they want to be near you. If you're crating/caging your dog outside or away from you then you are creating potentially dangerous behavioral issues later. Do not crate your dog unless you cannot be around for a length of time otherwise let it be with/near you so it can bond.

The crying is b/c it wants to be with you or it needs to potty or is hungry.

Hope this helps, I've raised more than my share of pups and kittys :) My puppy was trained to the point of scratching, whinning at the door within the first couple of weeks. It's very doable with patience, praise, and consistentcy on your part. I recommend a schedule for the first few months and even there after. It allows for everyone both you and your pup to know what to expect.

Accidents do happen, but then you probably expected they would when you agreed to take puppy home. Just clean them up, there's some good stuff out there these days to prevent staining and smells. I have an 11 yr old Border Collie who occassionally gets sick if someone feeds him crap from the table. He has a very sensitive stomach and sometimes the in-laws disregard all my wishes for them to NOT feed him scraps and inevitably he gets sick later. I have 2 steam cleaners (a hand held and a beast) to keep my floors clean. With a dog that size I recommend investing in one if you don't already have one.

Some other thoughts...

Rottys by their nature are extremely loyal and thus can be agressive. If you wish to curb this behavior I encourage frequent sociliazation with strangers while the pup is still young. Let him know that other people are ok otherwise it could get dicey later. Socializing isn't going to make him into a wimp, he will still bark, growl, when someone comes to your house but it should allow you to go for walks without your dog trying to rip a kid's head off.

I encourage you to watch Dog Whisperer on Nat. Geo. He has some other great tips as well, plus there are tons and tons of things you can find on the net. Post pictures of your puppy! I'll throw up a few of my zoo as well :)

I got some of those, but first pee was on the ground 5 feet to its left, and first poop was 20 ft away from the pad

What I did was use the pad to clean up a bit of the pee, and then put it back down so that it smells for him to learn... Dunno if there is anything else I can be doing. Gonna start taking him out as of tomorrow morning, cause he is a bit scared at the moment


Move the pad 5 feet to the left :)

I would just feed him and walk him on a schedule until he figures out where to do his duty :)

I personally advise against the pee pads. I do not think it is a good idea to teach the dog to pee inside. Take him outside to potty young and get him used to it. We have our dogs trained so we can say, do you need to go potty? And they will go to the door if they do.

Dogs are not cats, they don't have an innate desire to potty on things. Many dogs will go next to the pad, moving it does not matter. Teaching them to go in the house will lead to marking issues and stuff down the road possibly. Just take em outside and avoid it all.

Pee pads are great for taking money out of your wallet and ending up in a land fill. That's about where it stops.

First, If you're using a crate like everyone else has said it is *important* to make sure that's their safe place.

Secondly depending on the relation of the crate size to the puppy, you may want a divider so it shrinks the space available when the puppy is sleeping in it at night. The puppy is going to equate it with sleep area not pee area and is less likely to let it's bladder go while on it's bed. I've got a six week old German Shepherd/Lab mix and she knows to not piss in her bedding already. We've had a few accidents but not many, mostly her not being able to hold it until she gets outside in the morning. The other thing too, I don't know if you have a yard, but I do, and one of the first things i did with my dogs is I always take them out to the same are of the yard for them to go, it makes poo clean up loads (no pun intended) easier.

And thirdly, since you've got a rotti, try and *not* switch it's food a lot. That is unless of course you enjoy smelling dog farts.

try and *not* switch it's food a lot. That is unless of course you enjoy smelling dog farts

True story....

While sleeping one night I begin to have a dream that someone is squirting a hose in the bedroom. Also in the dream there is a very strong smell of sewage. So I wake up and hear that indeed there is a sound of water splashing from a hose. I reach over turn on the light and our dog, a large Boxer, is shooting a stream of diarrhea against not only the carpet but the walls, dressers, chairs and it is literally covering the whole carpet.

So changing food can cause much more than farts...it can cause you to contemplate dumping 5 gallons of gasoline in your bedroom and burning your house down and walking away....

I love crate training...I used to think it was cruel, until I tried it. Every dog I ever have will learn to use a crate now. The howling will eventually stop, if the crate becomes a happy place for the dog, and the ability to lock the dog up when necessary is fantastic. We leave the crate open all day, and both of our adult dogs still retreat in there to sleep when they want, or hide from me when they are in trouble. They also try to hide toys from me in the crate.

For housebreaking, pay attention to when they need to go. Usually it's right after waking up, playing, or eating. If you take the dog to the same part of the yard every time, you can teach them to only crap in one area, which is awesome when you have to clean it up. That's a hard human discipline at 2 AM, but it pays off. If you clean up messes in the house with a towel, leave the towel out where you want them to pee. Oh, and use an enzyme killer to clean up the messes, so they can't smell urine in the house - the just encourages them to keep doing it in the same place.

When they eat, mess with them. Touch ears, take the food, pet them...teach them you are in control, and that food is not the only thing that matters. If you ever have kids or friends with kids over and the kid grabs the dog's food, you'll be glad you did.

Not to derail the thread but...

A dashboard doggy... My new pup 'Pencil' on our way down to the beach in at Port Aransas

http://www.wall-locker.com/images/img019.jpg

awww cute

Drop the pads if it wasnt already said and take him out a lot, along with all the other advie. its encouraging him to crap/piss in your house, which isn't desirable. The training goes fast. I just took mine out all the time, over time you learn what they need and when they need it. I got my dogs on eating once a day, same time every time. Can predict exactlly when they have to go.

If it hasn't been said already.

1) 10-12 weeks old, get enrolled in a puppy class, especially with your breed. You want them socialized alot with other dogs.
2) Once that class is over, find a obedience training class and join it. They are actually a ton of fun...and you meet a lot of people and learn a ton of stuff you could never read about.

Enjoy the fun, I love my dogs.

Drop the pads if it wasnt already said and take him out a lot, along with all the other advie. its encouraging him to crap/piss in your house, which isn't desirable. The training goes fast. I just took mine out all the time, over time you learn what they need and when they need it. I got my dogs on eating once a day, same time every time. Can predict exactlly when they have to go.

If it hasn't been said already.

1) 10-12 weeks old, get enrolled in a puppy class, especially with your breed. You want them socialized alot with other dogs.
2) Once that class is over, find a obedience training class and join it. They are actually a ton of fun...and you meet a lot of people and learn a ton of stuff you could never read about.

Enjoy the fun, I love my dogs.

Thanks for the advice, I will look into those classes, and I have friends and family with smaller dogs that he can socialize with as he grows up. 2 of my employees also have little dogs that I allow them to bring to work, and I will be taking my little guy to work as well :)

meh puppy :)
1st one was taken last weekend, 2nd was take Christmas Eve :)

Everyones advice is great. I used puppy pads on my boat, but not as my home. As another suggested I didnt want him use to peeing in the home.

I bought my wife a dog in Nov and spent allot of time freezing in my snuggie, I got the red one. For three months until she got it down even mistakes on rainy days sometimes.


Jedd my oldest grew up in the office meeting subs, reps and sales people.
I even took him to every show I did for the first two years that was outside. He is wonderful around people. He is a cocker not a rot, but its amazing how many deals I get just because of him.

My 11 year old male Amstaff laid down on our walk today, hes getting pretty old. I picked him up and slung him over my shoulder and carried him home the last 1/2 mile. Hes 63# beast...he fell asleep lol.

I understand the getting old part. My BC is also 11 and has trouble with steps lately, sadly he will go and go until he is made to stop and then he limps for the rest of the day. Actually since I've had the schnoodle his energy level and demeanor have changed he seems peppier but I know he is near the end of the road. Without a doubt the best dog I've ever had, he's more in tune with his surroundings than most dogs.

I'm the dog person, Leah is the cat person. We have 3 cats too.

I'm the proud and happy owner of a dapple mini dachsund. He's the funnest, most loyal dog I've ever owned. 11 lbs of ferociousiness!! errr spelling.

Awww, your border collie is gorgeous, and I'm sure having the younger dog around has been good for his spirit and aching bones... and is that an orange cat I see sharing the bed with him (I'm an orange cat fan and have had five over the years :) )?

They make some good topical NSAID rubs you can get for sore doggie (and people) joints these days, might ask the vet about that as a non-invasive way to make him feel a bit better...

Definitely a cat person here, doggie potty training and endless breathless doggie eagerness aren't so much my cup of tea, but that's a good looking BC and I'm sure he's still got piles of energy even as an old guy :)

Regards,
Nydia

Yup, that's Mr. Emmerson. He was a stray who found his way to us where we used to live. He's been with us about 5yrs now and is the sweetest thing ever. He and Booboo (BC) are the only males in the house and thus have a special bond. Of course I wasn't so fond of him when he decided at 4:20am this morning it would be fun to stand in the shower and meow until I woke up to let him outside. grrrr

Boo is a special dog, I got him from a lady I work with... sort of. Her daughter had him and they had a baby and felt that he wasn't getting the attention he required or deserved. They paid a pretty penny for him (way more than I'd ever pay for a dog) in 97 and proceeded to have him professionally trained. When I got him at age 5 he knew some 50 verbal and hand commands. He seems more in tune than any dog I've ever had and it feels like he actually knows what I'm saying to him. His instinct to herd is strong and he enjoys seeing that all the pets and humans make it from room to room safely and at his pace. They are very intense dogs but truly amazing. He is totally and utterly mine, I had him for 1 day before I met Leah. They both entered my life around the same time, a mere 6yrs ago. :)

I could totally bombard this thread with hundreds and hundreds of pet photos. It's sad, but we don't have kids except our pets and we definitely are those types who spoil their pets into being like kids.

I love this thread btw... especially the pictures of peoples dogs! I will post the little guy up here soon.

No kids here either, and my breeder friends seem strangely annoyed when they tell stories about their babies, and I share some about our dogs. I have more pictures of the dogs than anything else.

We had an old Golden Retriever - dumbest dog ever, but sweet - with a cyst on her leg. She started acting old around 10, and at 12 we changed vets and he told us the cyst could be removed. Dumb old vet never brought that up. We took it off, and she must have been in a lot of pain previously, because with the cyst removed our 12 year old dog started acting like a puppy again. She stayed happy until she went blind and incontinent at 14, and died a bit later.

We just had two cats spayed (or neutred) which ever you do to female cats... I'm a dog man, but the wife wanted outside pets and cats are what the kids wanted :(

in any case Jiggles and Meow have recovered quickly and now are fiercly protecting my home from all forms of frogs, lizards and the occasional dragon fly :)

We just had two cats spayed (or neutred) which ever you do to female cats... I'm a dog man, but the wife wanted outside pets and cats are what the kids wanted :(

in any case Jiggles and Meow have recovered quickly and now are fiercly protecting my home from all forms of frogs, lizards and the occasional dragon fly :)

ahahahahahaha

lol yours are protecting your house from critters and I'm trying to save critters from mine. this weekend we stained our deck and found a gorgeous robin nest complete with 2 eggs. I didn't know it had eggs in it as I reached up to move it. Fortunately I had gloves on so I moved it to the side finished staining with mamma robin watching me from across the yard. a few hours later I replaced the nest and mamma robin flew back to her eggs where she promptly laid another egg.

the problem is the nest is nestled against the top step of my deck and easily accessible by mr emmerson the bird eater. we're currently trying to concoct something to prevent him from gobbling up the chicks after they are born. he's the only indoor/outdoor kitty we have the rest are lazy house cats that climb on my head while i'm trying to sleep.


more pictures! :)
hrmm can only upload 5 at a time.

Spent the day shooting for Dogs 101 for Animal Planet and brought up my girlfriend's Puggle, and nearly got kicked off the set. Apparently only purebreeds are good enough for Animal Planet :( Its like Sofie was a muggle and my producer was Voldemort!

Loving this thread as well Jedd, shows that we all actually have a human side to us lol.

I turn into a little kid when I'm playing on the ground with my dog, he's such a bundle of joy. Of course he doesn't understand it takes Dad 20 mins to get up off the floor lmao

On the topic of cats, we bought two little maincoons last september, and they've been the centre of our life ever since. Both of my other half's cats were run over a while back, which has put us off letting these little guys out, so they're house cats... for the moment. They don't seem to mind it though, eating, sleeping, and jumping up the curtains all day. I spent last week off work, and got to watch what they get up to in the day. All I can say is... they're mischievous little buggers.
Zeus is the little boy, I can't sit on the sofa without him jumping in my lap for a cuddle. While Horatio is the bigger boy, he's a bit of a loner, but at night he always sleeps on the bed, while Zeus sleeps under it. They've developed a very strange, very precise daily routine.

I got to name them though... Zeus and Horatio, muaha! :P

Here they are:

http://img40.imageshack.us/img40/4600/zeushoratiojessh.jpg

Those are nice kittys!

Aww I love their coloring! Pets make us all look like softys, I love it :)

Mine in action (posted a while ago)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oEsU_J8tnfs

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lk78n7riH64

We have some youtube crap floating around too but damn if I can find it atm. Nothing as impressive as your dogs though, that's crazy.

Here is something Leah did a while back to be funny, this cat makes some of the craziest facial expressions.

I'm really enjoying this thread Jedd, sorry we've derailed it so much hopefully you don't mind and please keep us updated on your pup. Also post pix pls :)

Mine in action (posted a while ago)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oEsU_J8tnfs

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lk78n7riH64

WOW that dog can jump! great lookin pitbull btw

I'm really enjoying this thread Jedd, sorry we've derailed it so much hopefully you don't mind and please keep us updated on your pup. Also post pix pls :)

Not at all, this thread is the best one on the boards right now! I will post pix tonight!

Right now we are petless for the first time in many, many years.

I had to put Ushi, one of my tabbies, down about 2 years ago due to bad kidneys and we ended up giving our other tabby, Ruka, to a friend.

Once our 1st child came along Ruka was pretty put off, especially when our guy started to crawl and then walk... watch out Ruka!

We plan on getting a dog, soon followed by another cat in the near future.

And now for some awwwww factor:

http://catsinsinks.com/


Cheers,

Sorry Halo but....

Those are some nice sweater kittens....

You're damn right they are!

At long last, introducing MAX!

http://img23.imageshack.us/img23/1048/camerashots301.jpg

http://img8.imageshack.us/img8/8450/camerashots349.jpg

http://img43.imageshack.us/img43/1313/camerashots280.jpg

http://img34.imageshack.us/img34/1466/camerashots271.jpg

Awwwwww.....

what a cutie!

Now that is cute.

Name him BISE! :) hehe cute doggy :)

he's adorable. :)

Ahh yes... the crate method. Great with dogs. Not so great with babies.

Ya my newborn son doesnt seem to like the crate training. At 5 months old it is tough for him to reach the bowl for him to eat/drink too. Cannot wait for him to start crawling so I can use the leash. :)

Oh man hes a great looking puppy!! You are going to have so much fun.